Job description

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Job Title: Vice President, Interpretation, Programs & Education
Status: (full-time, exempt)
Salary: Commensurate with experience; range begins at $75,000 a year

Rooted in the stories of the Underground Railroad, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (“Freedom Center”) illuminates the true meaning of inclusive freedom by presenting permanent and special exhibits that inspire, public programming that provokes dialogue and action, and educational resources that equip modern abolitionists.

The Freedom Center opened in August 2004 on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Since then, 1.3+ million people have visited its exhibits and public programs, inspiring everyone to take courageous steps for freedom. Two million people have utilized educational resources online at freedomcenter.org, working to connect the lessons of the Underground Railroad to inform and inspire today’s global and local fight for freedom. Partnerships include Historians Against Slavery, Polaris Project, Free the Slaves, US Department of State and International Justice Mission. In 2014, the Freedom Center launched a new online resource in the fight against modern slavery, endslaverynow.org.

Job Overview
The Vice President, Interpretation, Programs & Education (VP) is a senior leadership position responsible for the areas of education, programs, exhibition development, curation, and collections. The VP reports to the President & COO of the Freedom Center and manages the following direct reports:

• Chief Curator, Social Justice
• Exhibit Content Developer
• Director, Educational Initiatives
• Director, Project Management & Integrative Planning
• Director, Programs

The VP is responsible for curation, content development, collections acquisition, research activities, and project management of permanent and featured exhibitions. The VP is also responsible for adult & youth volunteers and interns, Youth Programs, educator professional development, field trips, digital learning initiatives, and guided tours. The VP supervises a team of approximately ten (10) Freedom Center staff, plus adult and youth volunteers and interns. Working as part of a strong senior leadership team, the VP is a critical part of leading the Freedom Center’s work institution- and community-wide, creating and deepening key local, regional, and national relationships with partners, supporters, advocates, and donors.

A particular focus for the VP for the next several years will be the transformation of exhibits and programs. The Freedom Center plans to renovate and refresh its permanent exhibitions and create the nation’s first permanent exhibition in a nationally accredited museum devoted to Social Justice, complementing a suite of related programming. This position plays a key role in the Freedom Center’s efforts to center its DEAI values (Diversity, Equity, Access, & Inclusion) and considers how to prioritize and share marginalized narratives, identify clear and compelling learning goals for adult and family audiences, and broaden perspectives on regional and national history.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead global vision and implementation for the Freedom Center’s interpretive plan, all educational initiatives, public programs and exhibitions – 50%
• Lead the refresh and creation of permanent exhibitions within the Freedom Center to create compelling, engaging, and updated experiences that combine world-class objects with interactivity, media, and immersive environments.
• Supervise a responsive and relevant Education portfolio that includes school and teacher partnerships and programs; gallery programs such as tours, activities, and guest engagement; Youth Programs; and volunteer and intern opportunities. Regularly assess portfolio effectiveness, needs, and structure to meet the best combination of the Freedom Center’s mission, community needs, staff capabilities, and funding and fee-based opportunities.
• Collaborating with other teams, help integrate the operations of guest experiences, featured exhibits, special initiatives, and other functions into a unified, efficient, mission-relevant, and fulfilling experience.

• Lead vision and implementation for collections and curation strategy – 25%
• Take responsibility for the safe acquisition, display, processing, digitizing, and storage of the Freedom Center’s over 1,600 artifacts and images.
• Find ways to make the Freedom Center’s collections more accessible, usable, and relevant; help identify and address relevant gaps in the Freedom Center’s collections and research knowledge.
• Build partnerships with academic and other institutions to add working resources and deepen the Freedom Center’s knowledge and perspectives.
• Integrate the Freedom Center’s collections and curation into exhibitions, programs, partnerships, and other opportunities to share relevance and meaning.
• Oversee the expansion and transformation of the Freedom Center’s collections operations

• Other Leadership – 25%
• Assist in fundraising, board engagement, financial monitoring, and other senior team duties as needed. Provide thought leadership, stakeholder engagement, and oversight for programming, education and exhibit initiatives related to grants, comprehensive and annual campaigns, and key donor relationships.
• Create high-value local, regional, and national collaborations with school, industry, and community partners.
• Build and reinforce a positive, productive, healthy, and fun work culture at all levels that prioritizes teamwork, innovation, and collaboration.
• Inspire, lead, and develop a team of staff, volunteers, and community partners with diverse backgrounds and expertise.
• Embody and model the Freedom Center’s core values: Credibility, Effectiveness, Engagement, Safety, and Welcome.

Qualifications

• Education or Equivalent Work Experience

• Degree or equivalent work experience in related subject
• At least 10 years of experience working in a museum, library, historic property, or equivalent public-facing organization
• Proven ability to lead, with record of increasing responsibility; candidates’ current responsibilities should be at the department director level or above

• Special Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Entrepreneurial, creative attitude that identifies and seizes relevant opportunities
• Strategic decision-making, forward-looking curiosity, and appetite for learning; ability to make meaningful connections between audience, experience, content, collections, and research
• Flexibility to creatively adapt to and lead in an environment of rapid change
• Dedication to both internal and external community and collaboration
• Excellence in building positive and productive relationships at all levels throughout a community
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to adapt message for variety of audiences, from guests, to partners, to researchers, to elected officials, to donors, to trustees, to media
• Sound operational and business acumen with ability to create and adapt successful structures, models, and systems; experience with leadership theory and practice a plus

Working Conditions

• Typical office setting at the Freedom Center, with time spent at offsite meetings. Some travel, as needed; valid, clean driver’s license required.
• Regular, frequent computer and phone use.

• 40-hour work week with occasional evenings and weekends.
• Supervise ~10 staff members, interns, and volunteers.

CMC/NURFC is an EOE employer and does not discriminate against any person based on age, ancestry, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected by law.

CMC/NURFC is building a culturally diverse staff committed to working in a multicultural environment. CMC/NURFC encourages applications from candidates even if you don’t meet all the listed qualifications.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $75,000.00 per year

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